Esperanza
by chaoticlivi
Summary: Maka Albarn seeks adventure in the wild, deep Arcadian sky. Meanwhile, Soul Evans' existence in upper-class Valua is making him restless. When they meet, each will realize the other is exactly what they've been looking for, and the attraction will be far deeper than a business arrangement. Elsewhere, in the depths of the Lower Sky, a living experiment stirs. Skies of Arcadia AU.
1. Chapter 1

_Once upon a time, it was just a myth._

_After that, everyone who knew the myth died out, and then it was just a bunch of letters on a tablet on an upside-down island in the Dark Rift._

_But before it was a myth, it was history._

_Cultures all around Arcadia were founded on the magicks of the Moons - red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and silver - but there was never a Black Moon culture. The magic of the Black Moon was considered by sane people to be impossible to harness in any meaningful way. Occasionally it did dangerous things to distort the land underneath, so civilizations avoided building anywhere near it, and the land was untamed._

_When Arcadian human life reached its darkest hour - total warfare using moon-powered mindless beings of mass destruction known as the Gigas - there was no Black Gigas created._

_That's what everyone believed._

_But these corrupt were masters of hiding their activities. While other cultures were building their weapons, so too were a tiny gathering of rogue individuals, those who rejected every society of Arcadia. Partly as a weapon and partly as an experiment, they channeled the magic of the Black Moon to create the Black Gigas._

_They were a small group with limited resources, so though their creation was impressive, it was lacking the finite functional controls needed to make use of its power. Every other Gigas was complex enough to perform any task its commander gave it. In place of this complex magical circuitry created through ingenuity, the Black Gigas was infused with the unholy power of two human bodies and souls. It was also given a name - Ragnarok._

_When the Rains of Destruction were finally called down by the Silvites to destroy the land and most humans, all who created the Black Gigas perished, and the Black Moon sank down close to the land. But the Black Gigas escaped death. It was forever bound to its Moon, unable to leave its dominion, which became the Dark Rift after so much of Arcadia's land was destroyed._

_With nothing left to ravage in the Lower Sky, Ragnarok slept and slept and slept as its story and its patron Moon fell out of social consciousness._

* * *

><p>There is nothing at all like being on an airship in the middle of the night, skies clear all around, billions of stars overhead, with a sleepy town perfectly in view on the island in front of them. Admittedly, Maka is right - it is a beautiful place. He's not gonna say it out loud, of course, but he can admire it quietly from beside her.<p>

Esperanza is pretty small, a little city as far south as a traveler can possibly go on the continent of Nasr. The culture isn't purely Nasrian, though, because it was originally a Valuan settlement. Between history lessons at home and history lessons from Maka Albarn, nerd-pilot-magician extraordinaire, Soul has learned - against his will, more or less - that beautiful Esperanza used to be a total dump.

After all, it looks out on the Dark Rift. And decades ago, when Esperanza was supposedly still a terrible place to wind up, no one had successfully crossed the Rift yet. The town was a broken-down place full of broken-down sky sailors who had failed to cross the blackened, tumultuous skies of the Rift - and they were the lucky ones.

A number of things have changed since then. Not only has technology made the Rift a bit more passable (if still dangerous), but the culture of Esperanza has changed, too. The travels of more optimistic adventurers have turned the city from a place of despair to a place of hope, and now instead of cowering in the shadow of the Rift, Esperanza stands bravely, defiant in the face of darkness.

Sometimes he really cheeses himself out.

Maka is reasonably happy now, thank the Moons. Upon thinking of it more, he realizes he still feels guilty about denying her from using her magic on him. He has second thoughts, considers suggesting that they try it now, but then she'll be able to read his mind and they'll _both_ regret it. Instead, he turns his head and offers her a serene smile.

"Yeah, okay, it is pretty nice here. You think it's too late to dock for the night?"

"Nope," Maka says, glancing at the clock at the top of the cabin. "We should be fine for at least another hour."

Maka helps him steer the _Little Demon_ as it descends toward its destination. It's funny - they've known each other for slightly over a year, but she has started to feel like the first mate he never had. Then again, they spend even more time working on the _Angel_, and she _definitely_ considers him a first mate. They've each come to know each other's ships as well as their own.

She says she's started to love the _Little Demon_ with its sleek shape, its classy black hull and white sails and red mahogany cabin. And goodness knows, he's spent too much time helping her upgrade and polish the _Angel_ not to be attached to it now, its homey, warm wood coloration, spacious cabin, and golden accents.

They are welcomed by friendly attendants into the airport of Esperanza. The city resembles the _Angel_ in some ways, with its warm and bright color palette, and Soul wonders if Maka let the city inspire her when she asked him to help her paint it.

They camp out for the night on the airship, as usual. There are three small bunks accessible from the cabin - one on each side of the open cockpit and one stuffed right into the front of the bow. Maka likes that one because there's a window she can look out from. Soul likes it because it's bigger than the other two bunks and he can spread his arms in every direction. For now, though, he lets her have it, because he got it last night.

* * *

><p><em>A full night had already passed since he'd left home. His thoughts were not quite as bright and cheery as he'd been hoping for, but then again, what else was new?<em>

_He'd gotten a lousy night's sleep, as the rooms on his airship were tiny and he felt unsafe and it made him restless; while he had nothing immediate to worry about, he didn't have a whole lot of experience sleeping in these conditions. It was kind of embarrassing and totally uncool._

_Soul thought about luck, homesickness, and his future in the twilight hours of the morning, peering mostly at the ceiling, occasionally glancing out the little window to the pinkening sky outside._

_Soul Evans had more than most Arcadians his age did. In fact, he had more than most Arcadians did at all, because his family was as rich as hell - or as rich as the sky was deep, which was the terminology they preferred. Not only did his mother and father have a large family airship for luxury cruising and concerts, but they also had a mansion (in Upper Valua, of course) and each family member had their own smaller airship. All in all, though he wasn't allowed to say it, Soul found the whole situation to be exceedingly pretentious and a waste of space. Why not just live on the family airship?_

"_It's only for concerts and outings, darling," his mother would say, tone fond but condescending. "We aren't sailors. You've got to keep your feet on the ground or you'll always have your head in the clouds."_

_Soul didn't bother reminding her that the whole world was a series of floating islands._

_He guessed it was the stifling lack of individuality and creativity that drove him away from home at a mere 17 years old. He did love his family, but had a feeling it would be much better for everyone if he had some room to grow, and as much as stories about wayward youth wandering off to "find themselves" annoyed him, he had to admit that it might be the most effective way._

_Besides, he could get out of his brother's musical shadow. The kind of music Soul played was free-form, emotional and "whimsical" (as little old ladies with odd hats would call it when it wasn't too dark for them) and was based entirely on his mood in the moment, which he took to mean he would also need some space to grow as a human being. Whatever he was looking for, he would not find it at home._

_He did give his family a warning that he would be leaving, because it would be cruel to make them worry. He didn't give them a lot of time to argue with his decision, though, telling them only the night before he left. His mother was, predictably, worried and slightly offended; she didn't seem to understand how he could reject a life of such comfort in exchange for an uncertain future among the less-fortunate in faraway lands. But his father seemed rather relieved. It may have been because up until this point, Soul had been somewhat directionless in life, hadn't shown much initiative toward anything. He had to agree with his father - he'd certainly felt lost and low on energy._

_Wes was the kindest. He gave a lot of advice, some of which Soul wasn't sure would be realistically useful, and helped make sure everything was ready. Soul would be taking his personal airship, the Little Demon, and Wes also helped see that it was fully stocked with everything from food to moonstones so Soul would not have to buy anything for a solid week if he used everything sparingly._

* * *

><p><em>Soul left the little island that had been his stop for the night and sailed onward for the rest of the day. He could not decide whether he enjoyed the peace and beauty - the deep blue sky and towering clouds all around, lit by the brilliant sun - or whether it made him sad.<em>

_This far out in the sky, he ran across a few schools of loopers, obnoxious little blobby creatures like upside-down teardrops with tiny flippers. Around here, not far from the Yellow Moon of Valua, they were mostly yellow, but in other regions, they would correspond to other Moons. On the rare instances when they picked fights with him, each would float in a ring of its own energy and hover annoyingly nearby. But they were weak, and a well-aimed swing of the small sword he'd brought for self defense would usually send them scattering in every direction._

_It was the evening of the second day when he arrived at Crescent Isle._

_Crescent Isle was known for being one of the newer colonies in the world, originally a base for Blue Rogues - though they had since allowed many other people to move there. It was small, situated on a tiny island, but it bustled with activity. Soul didn't have much energy to explore, so he went to bed early. It was a good thing he enjoyed sleeping so much._

_The next morning, he dragged himself out of bed and resolved to walk around among fellow humans for a while. At this point he was just looking for something interesting to happen - for a job to come along, really - and while he didn't particularly enjoy crowds, he'd never find anything to do if he wasn't around people on occasion._

_And that's how he met Maka._

_They were both turning a corner in the bazaar, and she crashed into him (although she maintained that he crashed into her). After exchanging petty insults for a full minute, drawing curious stares from some onlookers, the blonde's natural curiosity combined with his disinterest in fighting with people, and they settled into a real introduction over the background hum of people talking._

"_It's fine," she said. "We were obviously both distracted, um…?"_

"_Oh - yeah." He let that hang in the air, but she kept looking expectant, so he added, "My name's Soul." He considered telling her his last name, but decided against it in case she'd heard of his family._

"_Alright, Soul, I'm curious about you. You're obviously new. Why are you here?"_

_He shrugged. "I needed to get out. I'm looking for work away from home, I guess."_

"_You don't have any goals?"_

"_Only finding work," Soul said. "...I guess. As long as I can stand it."_

"_Oh, what are you looking for? I could probably get you to work on my ship." Her eyes twinkled when she said it._

"_You have a ship?" In retrospect, he could have offended her by sounding so surprised, but she either didn't notice or didn't mind._

"_Oh! Sorry. I'm building and upgrading my ship," she clarified. "Papa helped me build the basic structure, but I'd much rather work with someone else for the rest of it."_

"_Huh. I see." Soul nodded, noncommittal._

"_I can't really give you a lot of cash for working with me," Maka continued uneasily, her left boot digging its toe into the dirt floor. "But I can give you a little - it should be enough to feed and supply you."_

_Very interesting. He wouldn't need a lot of cash - just something to do…_

_Soul shrugged. "Sounds like it might work. What are you eventually gonna do?"_

"_My two main interests are fighting off Black Pirates and reading books, so I'd like to eventually make the Angel - that's my ship - equipped for battles and also have a library in it."_

"_A traveling library and battleship?" he said. "Isn't that kind of an odd mix?"_

"_Maybe, but what can I say? I really want some adventure, but I also really love books." She grinned, green eyes shimmering. "If you can prove you're not a jackass, maybe I'll even let you be my first mate."_

_He studied her, eyelid twitching a bit at the word "jackass," but he already knew his answer. "Fine. I am pretty bored. I'll hang out for a while. But don't call me your first mate, I'm not some nerdy sidekick."_

_She rolled her eyes. "My name is Maka, by the way."_

* * *

><p>The next morning when she wakes up, she notices that the bed smells like him - in a <em>good<em> soap-and-cologne way, not a sweaty way. She usually springs right out of bed, looking for something interesting to do, but this time she spends a few minutes letting herself imagine him lying here, genuine and unpretentious. He doesn't like being vulnerable in front of people, but surely he is when he sleeps.

The sun's angle has changed by the time she pulls herself out of bed and shuffles around on deck, watching the port's activity from many different spots and unsubtly making noise to try to wake Soul up.

He finally stumbles out of his bunk, yawning obscenely, hair a disaster.

"Good morning, sunshine," she grins, beaming cheerful sarcasm.

"Ungh. Bright." He rubs his eyes. "I'm hungry. Let's go find some food."

And with that, they venture from the docks to the rest of the port to the warmly-colored, brand-new city. There's an Old District, which contains homage to ships and sailors who never made it through the Dark Rift; and a much larger New District, which is designed to be modern and hopeful, and though Maka wants to explore this more optimistic neighborhood further, the first eatery to attract their attention is Don's Bar - which seems to sit just on the line between the two parts of the city.

It's small and heavily occupied and appears even more crowded with sketches, old photographs of varying qualities, and detailed notations from the 'round-the-world adventures of the bar's founder. Though the space is busy and small, it also feels cozy, and Maka doesn't mind squeezing into a stool so close to Soul's spot that they're crammed together.

She feels obligated at first to keep her legs to herself, since if they hang comfortably from her seat, they lean against his. But why? They're friends, right? There's nothing wrong with letting your legs lean comfortably on a friend's. She's never thought twice about it with anyone else. And he did hug her that one embarrassing time, so they've - well, touched before.

It's not chilly outside, but there's something delicate and cozy about casual touching like this that contrasts with the rest of the world and makes her feel warm. He doesn't give any indication that anything is different. Still, if anything, they only lean closer together as they drink and eat in comfortable quiet.

* * *

><p>They spot it on their way back to the <em>Little Demon<em>, after hours of poking around in the city; their wallets are considerably lighter, and they carry some souvenirs (especially books and scrolls). First, they notice a crowd of onlookers at the docks.

"What the hell are all those people staring at?" Soul squints at the crowd, and then he squints toward the docks. No one unusual has arrived.

But Maka looks further out into the sky.

"Soul!" she says breathily. "Out there - it's an arcwhale!"

"Huh?" he hums, but he's already spotted it. "_Oh_."

Even from this far away, the creature is obviously colossal, a dozen times the length of the _Little Demon_. But it is also beautiful, a sleek purple-blue beast drifting gently past the port.

"We should follow it! This is a once-in-a-lifetime sighting," Maka says.

"I thought they were extinct?" Soul shields his eyes as they head toward the ship already.

"I thought they were extinct, too! But apparently not! This is probably an important thing to witness. Come on, let's hurry up."

They leave the port as soon as possible. The whale has already gone far, but the _Little Demon_ has the speed to catch up, so they can find a safe following distance and stay there for a while. They have plenty of moonstone fuel and Maka decides it will be fine not to worry about running out until later.

They aren't the only ones who follow the whale, but they stick with it the longest. Everyone else tires of chasing it. Maka thinks maybe she and Soul were looking for a reason to come out here.

"It's headed toward the Dark Rift," Soul murmurs. The massive, deep gray cloud bank, which stretches all the way from somewhere beneath the Lower Sky to somewhere higher than the _Little Demo_n can go, looms in front of them. "Think it's safe?"

They can hear thunder, always crashing from within the clouds, though it sounds distant.

She studies his concerned face and can't help but poke at him a bit, smug. "What, are you so sheltered you've never even been here before?"

He scowls.

"Don't worry," she says, stepping close and squeezing his shoulder. "I know it looks bad, but it doesn't suck you in or anything. It's just there. As long as we don't try to breach any of the clouds or go in through one of those holes," she gestures at an even-darker spot on the side of the rift, "we can hang around near the edge here and be perfectly fine."

He gulps. "Are you sure?"

She finds this place beautiful, in a way. It's so mysterious and unchanging, something few people venture through even with the progress that civilization has made. If there is a place more mysterious than what lies beneath the Lower Sky, it's what lies beneath the Lower Sky in the Dark Rift.

Maka nods. "I was here with Mama once. We'll stay a healthy distance away. I bet the arcwhale will, too."

* * *

><p><em>She loved her island, little though it was.<em>

_Crescent Isle had been founded by real heroes. Not war heroes, not the kinds of heroes who took people's land, but genuine explorers and peacemakers. They'd come to think of the people who eventually moved to their isle as family, and everyone who lived there was a kind of honorary Blue Rogue._

_The Blue Rogues did less fighting than they used to, since Valua had become a force for good and it would no longer be fair to steal from their ships. But the Black Pirates still crawled the skies, and in some ways they had gained strength from the destruction of Valua's old Armada, so there was still a place in the world for Blue Rogues._

_That was where her mother was, out sailing. Maka hoped to follow someday. Their family had not been wealthy, but they'd done all right, and after all, she wasn't above taking advantage of her smarmy father's money just a bit, so she was well on her way to fulfilling her own dreams with her own private little ship. She might yet live up to the standard her mother had set as an adventurer and explorer and heroine and all-around incredible person._

_The morning she met him, she had been on her way home from the bazaar with some supplies - paint, nails, hardware. He was spacing out, not looking where he was going. It was understandable, since he was obviously new around here and the bazaar could be pretty busy and impressive, but he should have been paying attention to the people around him!_

_He was such a sullen person; she assumed she would find him boring once she got past his interesting red eyes and sharp teeth. But he seemed in need of some attention and she was in need of a teammate, so she invited him into her life, willing to work with him for as long as he behaved himself._

_Soul liked to be stoic. Maka discovered quickly that he had strong feelings and opinions, but would almost never own up to their strength. He was curious, but would shy away from learning. He had hope, but his exterior was toughened and cynical._

_The main problems Maka noticed were that he was lazy and also didn't know anywhere near as much about shipbuilding and repair as she thought he would, considering he owned one himself. She had a feeling he must have been rather sheltered, although he did an excellent job with tasks like woodcutting._

_And she had to admit that when she explained what she wanted, he was better than her at crafting things to look pretty._

"_Now that you're getting used to life around here," Maka said about a month after Soul settled into a routine on the island and work on the ship, "We should work on learning some magic! At least, that's what I'm gonna do."_

_Soul made one of those predictable grunting sounds he did whenever he was too lazy to do something, but his answer surprised her._

"_I already know some magic. Green." He pulled a small necklace with a subtle green trinket from inside the collar of his shirt. "Started learning on this as a kid, never really bothered with any other colors."_

"_Great!" Maka said, beaming. "And I know a bit of red magic." She showed him the tiny stone on a ring on her right middle finger._

"_Hey, that's rude," he mock-scowled when she gave him the middle finger without realizing what she'd done. She stuck her tongue out._

"_Don't try to be smart. Anyway, I want to refine my skills more."_

"_Yeah, I guess you're right. Does this mean more time in the library?" Of course he would ask that, the lazy bum._

_Learning magic on Arcadia has always been about patience and money. Maka was pleased to find that Soul had patience in spades when his progress was visible._

_She was shocked to find that he seemed to have money in spades, too, though she would eventually find it made sense._

"_We'll need to look for more moonstones if we want to learn other kinds of magic. If we don't carry them with us, our spells will be so weak they're not really worth using…"_

"_How much are they around here?" Soul asked._

"_They're a little pricey," Maka said shiftily. "Well, the silver, blue, and purple, anyway, since they aren't found locally. Red and yellow are easy to get - we make fuel out of those - and even green aren't too hard to import."_

"_Maka, I don't want to have a discussion about it or anything, but believe me when I say I can probably afford a couple of them," Soul murmured. "I, uh. I didn't come with empty pockets."_

_An hour later found them at the bazaar in front of a booth that sold moonstones. Maka was particularly fascinated by the small, sparse piles of silver and purple moonstones._

"_Oh, wow," she said, voice soft. "They're absolutely beautiful."_

_Soul chuckled. "You're so enthusiastic."_

_She fixed him with a glare that she knew was playful, but he might not. "Of course. It's exciting. Silver is the magic of life and death and purple is the magic of the mind! Really, it's so cool! I mean, it's all cool. You know, they say red is the magic of passion, did you ever think of that?" She put a hand on her hip. "Maybe that's why I like it so much."_

_Soul merely gave her an inscrutable grin._

"_And green is life magic," she continued, not even caring that she was rambling because she clearly had his attention anyway and he seemed unguarded. "That's really neat, considering it's the one you started with. Maybe you're secretly a healer type."_

_He looked a bit smug, grin becoming lopsided._

"_What?!" she said. "I think it's interesting!"_

"_You act like I've never heard these things before - it's like being excited by telling me grass is green."_

_She looked more disappointed, more shut-down, than he expected, and it made him surprisingly sad._

"_There's nothing wrong with it, it's just funny. What do you think of blue and yellow?" he prompted._

"_My mama likes blue magic a lot because it's about movement. And yellow...it's really gross, but for obvious reasons, my papa likes that one."_

"_Why's it gross? It's just energy…"_

"_Yeah, but it's - he views it as virility. You know. Sexual energy."_

_Soul wrinkled his nose. "Oh. Yeah, that is pretty gross, coming from your dad."_

_In the end, they left with a purple and a silver moonstone each._

* * *

><p>They're out here on their own, and she sounds like she's flirting with him. Is she? Dear moons, she's so hard to read. No, maybe he's just horrible at reading people. Maybe he's seeing what he wants to see most of the time.<p>

They've become so close in the space of a year. In a way, he thinks that if he told someone that even as two single adult best friends who nearly live together and have feelings for each other they had never been romantic, that someone would never believe him.

And maybe that someone would be right.

He's come to think of Maka as a very blunt person. She would say something if she wanted to be with him as more than a friend, more than a "first mate," right? A part of him shouts, _No, obviously that's not true! She's scared as well! She's straightforward, but she's not actually an idiot no matter how many times you call her that, you idiot._

Anyway, even if she does want to be with him and things work out initially, how much does he trust romance? Not at all. It's known for mucking things up, especially as it relates to people like himself. Lonely musician types don't usually fare too well in love.

"You're pretty grim, aren't you?" Maka says, laughing. Soul frowns.

"Where'd that come from? I was minding my own business," he answers, blowing a raspberry at her. He hopes it comes across as playful and less grim.

"I dunno, you had this look on your face like you were really unhappy."

Soul shrugs. "Just my face, I guess."

"Anyway, I was wondering if - well, a few days ago, when we were practicing our new spells…"

He startles, not expecting her to bring that up again so soon. Either she doesn't notice or she considerately chooses not to point it out.

"When we were practicing, I realized there was some other spell. The magic-sharing resonance one, that wasn't the only one I learned from the moonberries. There's something else, but when I try to use it, I can't."

Ah. So she's not going to bring up their discussion. She does look worried, though, eyebrows drawn into a frown.

"Honestly, the same thing happened to me," Soul says.

"Oh, all right," Maka sighs, relieved. "It's not just me."

"Yeah. We did eat two berries each, right? I'm sure the second ones just take a while to work or something."

* * *

><p><em>He wasn't sure why he was letting her make him sit here again, in the dingy Crescent Isle Library, poring over musty old books on the day they'd promised themselves they'd rest. They'd been studying magic for months, just learned how to cast some higher-level silver spells, so he thought they deserved more than a one-day break, frankly.<em>

_But here he sat. He folded his arms and rested his head over them on the table. There was a lamp in the middle and Maka was excitedly flipping through pages. Occasionally they got dust in his face, but he just wrinkled his nose and didn't move._

"_Ah, there it is. See? I told you!"_

_What he saw was a drawing of the Black Moon Stone he had insisted did not exist._

"_That's a drawing," Soul said, holding back a yawn. "It doesn't mean anything."_

"_Yes, it does, because if you read here, it says the crew saw it themselves. In the Dark Rift. And this record was written by Vyse the Legend himself."_

"_So? Just because he's famous doesn't mean he didn't make stuff up."_

"_Normally I'd agree, but look at how well-documented this is. His crew did all kinds of incredible exploring. I'm absolutely certain everything here is true."_

_He leaned closer to the book - and to Maka, who seemed to be wearing some kind of flowery new perfume - so that he could read. Apparently, the Black Moon Stone had been found in the Dark Rift, and its existence suggested the presence of a Black Moon. But no one had actually seen the Black Moon; it could have been destroyed, or it could have been a myth, or whatever happened to it could have been lost in the mists of time._

"_You heard of all these Blue Rogues, too, right?" Maka said out of nowhere. She was looking at a list of explorers, apparently crew on the historic ship._

"_Yeah, I do remember them - most of them." Soul nodded into his elbow. "I remember a lot of names from back then. They jam that stuff into history lessons."_

"_I wish I'd had better history lessons," Maka frowned. "I'm glad I grew up here and got my ship, obviously, but our history is a little more bare-bones than yours was, I think."_

"_You seem to have done well enough for yourself by just reading shiploads of material," Soul cheeked._

_Maka glanced at him, but accepted the compliment without comment, only a tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth showing she found him amusing. "Anyway, what I really wonder is this - do you think there's a Black Gigas?"_

_Soul shrugged. "I doubt it?" he said, though it was a question because he simply could not know. "The original Gigas were all weapons, and every story I've ever heard has claimed there was one based on each of the six moons, not seven. I don't really think everyone would straight-up forget about a colossal walking weapon of mass destruction that fought with other colossal weapons of mass destruction."_

"_I dunno," Maka said. "Just because there is one doesn't mean it fought in the war. Technically, anyone with enough Moonstones could probably make one."_

"_Maybe," Soul said. He glanced at the book again. "But the Black Moon's powers sound kinda useless, too. It says it turns positive energy into negative and negative into positive, so it makes everything opposite. How do you use that? Seems like it would just make everything insane."_

"_I wonder if the Black Moon or the Black Gigas could have destroyed themselves with their own power," Maka mused._

"_Why all this, anyway?" Soul asked warily. "I'm sorry, but I don't really want to go hang around in the Dark Rift or something."_

"_I'm just really curious," Maka murmured. He found it comforting that she was so engrossed in the book, still flipping back and forth through the pages. It meant she had no plans to bop him on the head embarrassingly. "I do…want to go, someday. But I know now's not the time." She glanced over and made eye contact, reading his thoughts. Great. "Don't get all nervous. Even if it's ten years from now and we're both really strong, I won't try to make you come somewhere so dangerous."_

_There were a couple of things his mind immediately responded with, including: _We barely know each other and you're assuming we're still going to be together in ten years? _and _We barely know each other, but I'm definitely not gonna watch you go into the Dark Rift alone, you idiot.

_But he bit them back, smirked, and nodded._

* * *

><p>"Soul?" she asks softly.<p>

He turns his head to look at her, apparently recognizing the note of concern in her voice.

"Are you happy? With where we are?"

Soul's mouth drops open, and he stutters. She even notices his cheeks flushing rapidly when he looks away into the sky around them. "I- well, I think-"

"I mean," she says, because she knows he thinks he's being pushed to answer something he's not ready for and her cheeks are turning red as well, "in terms of leaving your home, coming to Crescent Isle, and working with me."

"_**Oh**_," he says, gaze rushing back to her face. "Yeah. I am."

"Really? Sometimes I think you seem a lot - well, a lot more interested in the world than when I met you, but sometimes, I think you _must_ be bored."

Soul shakes his head. "I promise, it's better than before. Even though every day isn't always thrilling, at least I feel like I'm doing something."

Maka smiles and relaxes her shoulders; she didn't even know they were tense. "Okay. Thanks. Good to know."

He nods, already whale-watching again, his brow set more sternly than usual as he looks off into the distance. Maka moves to stand next to him, leaning on the side rail, close enough to believe she could feel some warmth coming from him but far enough not to be touching. She isn't sure how long they stand there, but he doesn't move away.

His breaths seem slow and deep, and her eyes stay closed for longer than the average blink.

"Think maybe we should head back?" Soul asks eventually, cutting through the silence. She knows he's concerned about the night falling soon, and he is right, so she huffs.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." Maka offers him a smile, noticing the way his white hair has taken on the colors of the setting sun. "Your hair looks nice in this light."

He turns a charming shade of red and she just _knows_ he's struggling to hide a grin. "Flattery won't keep us out any later," he says.

"Tssk. I know. I'm just _saying_."

They haven't even finished turning the ship around when Maka notices a dull roar coming from the Dark Rift.

"Huh. That's really loud," Soul says.

Maka glances over. The Rift is not terribly close, about twenty times the length of the _Little Demon_ in distance from them, although of course it also towers over them. The whale has drifted closer to it. There doesn't seem to be any lightning in the dark clouds on the outside.

"That didn't sound right, though," she says. "It didn't sound like thunder…?"

As she says this, the roiling wall of the Rift, almost at the point where it touches the clouds in the Lower Sky, begins to move. There is another sound, an incredible noise that is definitely not thunder but more the ethereal rumble of a dying beast the size of a continent.


	2. Chapter 2

_He never said a word about leaving. This fascinated her._

_What Maka understood about Soul's past - aside from the fact that he didn't enjoy talking about it - was that he'd felt he needed to do some adventuring, look for a career away from his wealthy family. But he hadn't been traveling for more than a few days when he came to Crescent Isle; it hardly qualified as an "adventure"._

_Yet he'd stuck around anyway._

_He seemed to stay fairly busy for someone who was so lazy. He worked on slowly upgrading and further personalizing the Little Demon, and he worked on mastering magic as she had suggested. He also continued helping her with the Angel, sometimes with and sometimes without vociferous whining._

_She couldn't help but be extremely aware that she found him attractive, either because he was a mystery and she loved mysteries or because he wasn't actually that hard to figure out and she loved pensive, thoughtful people._

_She hoped he wasn't like her father. Though, of course, it wouldn't matter - even if he did show a more clear romantic interest in her, it would be far too awkward for either of them to make any moves at this point._

_She patiently stopped asking about his family and where he came from. By contrast, she aired all her family's dirty laundry to him within the first three months, although that was because she was so angry she couldn't hide it, especially not from someone who saw her angry every day. He took it in stride, soon stopped trying to offer solutions and simply became an active listener, which she greatly appreciated._

_One afternoon at the bazaar, they ran into her father; he was drunk and on a date, always a winning combination. It wasn't the first time Soul saw her father in person, but it would be the first time they spoke._

"_Makaaaa, sweetie! See, 'Risa, this is Maka! My daughter! Maka, c'mere, lemme introduce you," Spirit said more loudly than necessary. The brunette at his side tittered nervously, clearly more savvy to Maka's feelings than Spirit himself._

"_No, I'm not staying. And don't call me your daughter," Maka growled. Spirit looked stricken._

"_But you are my daughter," he said, voice genuine and innocent. "You know I-"_

"_Yeah, nice to meet you too, buddy," Soul interrupted, "but I'm gonna have to side with your - with Maka on this one. We really gotta be going."_

"_Who are you?" Spirit demanded, becoming much more serious, squinting as he he acknowledged her...friend for the first time. "You a boyfriend or something?"_

"_No," Maka answered, and it stung more than she would have predicted just to say that. Pushing down her sense of dread and curiosity about what Soul thought of all this, she continued. "We're working together on the Angel and we have to go meet someone. 'Bye now."_

_Surprisingly, her father did not pursue the matter. He looked defeated and let them go._

_When they were a safe distance away, Maka confided, "Now I feel like I've crossed a line. Telling him not to call me his daughter."_

_Soul shrugged. "It sounds like you two have a complicated relationship and he doesn't always uphold his - well, fatherly role very well. I probably can't blame you."_

_Maka looked into his eyes then, for sincerity's sake. "Thank you, Soul. It's nice just being able to vent. I've been told I was being too mean before."_

"_Well, what are you gonna do? The guy certainly can't take a hint," Soul grinned._

_Her feeling that Soul was a safe place of sorts was only bolstered over time._

"_I was supposed to be a musician," Soul blurted one afternoon, half a year after their meeting. He was painting a bit of the trim on the Angel while she planned out the cabin's structure on paper._

_Maka looked up from her plans in surprise. "Oh? Where did that come from?"_

"_Well, that's what my family does. They're all musicians. My brother is a violinist, my father a cellist, my mother a flutist. And that's not all - as far back as we know, my relatives have been involved with music somehow. They have an entire business around it, performing, producing content, and even making instruments."_

"_I see. That's interesting, although I was wondering more why you decided to say it all of a sudden."_

_He shrugged. "Felt like I should. You tell me everything."_

_Yeah, it was true - he could at least tell her _something_. And "something" he had told - but she found out even more against his will a few weeks later._

_They were on their way from the Little Demon to the Angel, Maka leading the way, when someone from behind demanded their attention._

"_Soul?! Is that you?" barked the deep voice of an older man. Maka turned in time to catch the mortified expression on her friend's face before he, too, faced the stranger._

"_Hello, Dad," Soul said warily. His father was a tall, tanned man with his white hair coiffed and dark, maroon-red eyes. His dimpled chin was set more firmly than Soul's. He did not slouch, and there was no devil-may-care smirk. Also, his fine clothes were wildly out of place here._

_Maka marveled that Soul had come from that. He must have made some serious wardrobe adjustments before arriving at Crescent Isle. She began to step forward in a polite effort to introduce herself, but the father was fixated on his son._

"_I didn't know you were here," he was saying. "Your letters made it sound like you were farther away and in a...classier place, I suppose."_

_Maka almost lost her temper right there, but reined it in when she saw Soul's eyes nearly bulging out of his head as he glanced at her. "I - you don't - this is a pretty nice island," he stammered._

_Sensing the nature of the tension between the two men, Maka advanced more toward the older one and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Maka Albarn, future captain of the airship _Angel_. Soul showed up here a while ago and said he was looking for work so I convinced him to work with me on building it. You should be proud - he catches on quick. And he's very creative."_

_Soul's father shook her hand and nodded, still looking doubtful. Nonetheless, his grip was firm, and after their handshake broke naturally, he put his hand on his son's shoulder. Soul shifted anxiously._

"_I wish you the best, and if they were here your mother and brother would do the same," said his father. "You appear to be self-sufficient now, so we can't tell you how to live anymore. Stay in touch."_

"_That was weird. Why is he here?" Maka muttered as the man left._

_Soul shrugged. "Dunno. Sometimes the parental units travel far to buy stuff or do business. Faraway performances, that sort of thing. I bet he was stopping here to restock. Should've known._

_There was a brief, comfortable silence._

"_Thanks, by the way," he added in a hushed murmur, "for making most of the conversation. Talking to my parents can be tricky, you never know whether they're going to be cool or give you unwanted advice."_

* * *

><p>He swears there's something weird about the wind.<p>

No matter how they frantically dash about to fix the sails, how they turn the wheel back and forth, they're being blown toward the Dark Rift.

The arcwhale is nowhere to be seen, and the distance between the _Little Demon_ and the Rift is shrinking at an alarming rate. The long mass of dark gray and black towers above them and the wind blows in whichever direction will take them closer. It seems to change according to the positioning of the sails.

For a few moments, they stand on the deck, helpless and frustrated. Doing nothing doesn't slow their progress toward the darkness, however. Maka makes a dash to the spinnaker chute, once again looking to try rearranging the sails.

He really isn't looking forward to asking Maka of all people to stop fighting, but this isn't working and they need to regroup.

"Maka!" Soul shouts. "Get inside! Go into the cabin!" He doesn't wait for her to acquiesce, but instead runs toward her to pull her arm.

"Soul! We can't do anything in there," she says, pulling back.

"We can't do anything out here, either."

Maka opens her mouth to argue, but then glances back toward the Rift. She reaches a silent decision and allows him to pull her to the cabin door. She tugs him after as he ushers her inside, and the door slams behind them.

With no one holding the wheel and no one pulling the rigging, the _Little Demon_ starts to roll out of control. Everything that isn't nailed down in the cabin tips over ominously, the lighter items such as the small drinking glasses already broken on the floor.

It's also hard for humans to balance, so they stumble toward the nearest bunk door. There should be few loose objects in the bunks.

Theirs happens to be on the starboard side. Maka climbs onto the thin mattress of the bunk and pulls Soul into the massive, unmade bundle of covers.

"For padding," she explains in a stage whisper, but she doesn't need to.

As the turbulence around the ship reaches a new high, Soul and Maka cling to each other, jammed against the corner of the tiny bunk in a mess of blankets. He's sure she can hear his teeth grinding as he clenches them, just as he can hear her heavy breathing. He smells her hair and skin and his mind flashes back to just the other day when they embraced on Crescent Isle. That, too, had been frightening, but nothing like this, and it feels like a scene from someone else's life.

Though neither can see it without a window, the darkness of the Rift closes around them.

* * *

><p><em>They practiced magic for months and months. Maka was - how could he describe it? - enthusiastic. She often dragged him off to even-smaller, uninhabited islands surrounding Crescent Isle, arguing that it was fine to learn a spell in a peaceful place like the deck of the Angel or the small town green, but the way to truly master it was to use it in the heat of battle.<em>

"_Mama always taught me that magic is channeled through your psyche, so if you put yourself under pressure, you'll learn more and work faster," she said. They were hunting some of the more aggressive wildlife in the area, including lumpy sky fish known as grapor and wisp-like crustaceans known as shrilp, as well as the ever-annoying and omnipresent looper._

_Soul had expected Maka to be more squeamish, afraid of beasts, afraid of fighting, and afraid of dead things. Admittedly, though, there was nothing reasonable about this; he had caught himself stereotyping based on her gender. In reality, he was the more easily intimidated one. She would find a cave full of the creepy beasts and charge straight in, firing off her favorite spells, usually fiery red explosions. He generally hung back and heaped green healing spells on her, although he came to realize that she usually incinerated everything in sight before she could need any healing._

_He had to admit to finding her attractive. She was a force to be reckoned with, open about her passion, frequently gentle by choice._

* * *

><p><em>He was skeptical of the fruit she dumped on the small table in the cabin of the Little Demon. It was shaped like a strawberry without seeds, but was also unnaturally pale all over and appeared to emit light. His eyes couldn't quite seem to make sense of it, but his brain knew exactly what it was.<em>

"_Moonberries?" he asked Maka, who gleefully handed him two and laid claim to the other two. "Where did you get these? Anywhere sketchy?"_

"_No, I'm not stupid," she said indignantly. "My Papa gave them to me as gifts, and maybe you wouldn't know what they are because you were so sheltered in Valua, but they're incredibly rare."_

"_I know what they are, thank you very much. But just so you know, your father still counts as a pretty sketchy source."_

"_Papa probably expects me to eat all of these myself," Maka said as if she didn't hear the last thing he said. "But…"_

"_If you want them, that's okay." He offered her the two in his hand._

"_No, Soul. I gave it to you for a reason." She grinned._

_Soul rolled his eyes far more dramatically than he needed to. "Because we're in this together and I'm your first mate?"_

"_Because I like to do the opposite of whatever Papa wants me to do."_

_Soul smirked. "You're such a rulebreaker."_

_She bopped him on the nose in a way that reminded him of moments when she was irritated at him, but her touch was light and her voice was warmer. "Only when the rules are wrong. Now - what do you wanna do?"_

"_What do I wanna do?" he repeated nervously, swallowing. This question was far, far too open-ended._

"_Eating the berries," she said patiently. "Do you want us to take turns, or just eat all of them at once, or -?"_

"_Oh." He shrugged, brought out of his reverie which had taken a turn toward things that would always be forbidden. "Whatever. Are you nervous or something?"_

_He wasn't sure if her blush was simple embarrassment or if she, too, recognized that this conversation would sound suggestive out of context. "No one's ever told me if it hurts or anything - when they affect your personal magic," she said in a hurry. "I'm sure it'll be quick, but I have to admit I don't know what to expect."_

_Soul shrugged again. "Learning spells has never hurt before. I'll bet it's fine. Let's do it at the same time."_

_She nodded, and they held eye contact across the table. Silly grins emerged on their lips as they raised one berry to each of their mouths._

"_Three," Maka started, and gulped down her trepidation. "Two...one…"_

_The taste was difficult to describe, but he could come up with "sweet," and the texture was otherworldly. The moonberry managed to be both cool and warm, powdery and chewy. It made his mouth tingle, and Soul regretted devouring it in just one bite. As he swallowed, the magical feeling spread down his throat and crept along every nerve in his body, until he felt exhilarated, as if there were a glow emanating from him._

_Oh. He probably was glowing, considering that Maka was doing the same across from him. She was staring intently at him, studying his appearance. Her eyes were brighter than twin green moons._

"_It must be working," she said with a hugely expectant smile._

_Soul held his hand out in front of him and studied it. He felt light-headed and pleasantly warm._

* * *

><p>The turbulence tosses them around the bunk. First they're on the bed, which is comfortable; but soon, they and their bundle of covers have migrated to the wall, which can't be right, and then they move on to the ceiling. Maka is dimly aware that the ship must be upside-down for this to happen.<p>

There is no way for her to tell how long the ship tumbles and shakes. They're gripping each other so tightly and their hearts are pounding so hard she can feel his pulse under his skin all over _her_ body, and it's alarming, sensing his fear, because she knows he's a worrywart but he's rarely actually scared and it just hammers home how bad this is. She wants to yell at him to stop being scared, and she wants to curl up in his arms until it's all over, and she wants to protect him.

Eventually it stops, the _Little Demon_ tilted to the side. Minutes pass and there is no more turbulence; there is only the occasional "clunk" of more things falling, along with their still-labored breathing.

"It feels like it's still in the air," Maka whispers of the airship.

Soul's hair brushes her as he nods. "I don't think we hit anything."

They allow more time to pass in silence. She's afraid to relax.

"Should we go to the windows in the bow?" she asks at last.

Soul shrugs. "I dunno. Not sure how else we're gonna figure out what's going on."

Painfully slow and cautious, they loosen their grips on each other and on the blanket-pile, moving toward the door. Everything is pitch-black. Maka realizes that they would usually apologize and blush for this much touching, but the idea of embarrassment in this moment is simply ludicrous. Instead, they blunder into the rest of the cabin.

It's not the cabin they've always known. They can barely see through the gloom, and scattered debris manages to trip them both at once. Maka assumes that the lack of light is caused by all the doors being closed, but when they reach the bunk tucked into the bow, they find that the door has been swung open the whole time.

It's dark outside.

Soul and Maka both squint out the small windows, trying to figure out where they are. There is just enough eerie, gray light to see the shapes of some floating islands against black clouds.

"We must be in a pocket in the Rift," Maka whispers.

Soul swears.

They stare out the windows for a long time, unsure of what the least suicidal option is. Finally, Soul moves toward the door again.

"I'm gonna see if there are any unbroken lights to turn on," he mutters. Maka nods, though he can't see her, and continues looking out the window at the islands. They appear to pulsate, like flesh in the heart of the Rift. It makes her sick to think about, but she can't quite look away.

How? Clearly there must be a way through here, but how are they going to make that happen? The guilt is just settling in when she hears Soul shuffling around on the other side of the ship, searching for a functional light.

She stands, and at the same time, the turbulence begins again.

He's still on the other side of the ship as he yells for her, but there is no way for Maka to choose a direction and move; she is being tossed around, as he surely is, and there is an unholy creaking and cracking.

When she crashes to a halt, she assumes that she must be unconscious and waits to wake up. It takes too long to realize she is just numb.

* * *

><p>"<em>These will work," Maka said, gesturing gleefully toward a huge cloud of loopers. They were mostly red in color, though there were a few yellow ones. "Let's see this stuff in action!"<em>

_Soul piloted the Little Demon straight through the group, attracting some attention. The loopers tried to pick at the two on deck, and it gave Soul an opportunity to cast his first spell straight away._

_Maka fended off the creatures with her sword - it was not difficult, which was slightly disappointing - while she gave Soul a moment to concentrate. It didn't take long for him to figure out what was apparently a defensive shield spell. Something shimmered into being between Maka and the loopers._

"_This is awesome," she cried from where she stood, dropping her sword and spinning around, protected from the irate little monsters by glimmering air._

_Soul's face was one of pure satisfaction. She rarely saw that look of boyish wonder in his eyes._

"_My turn!" Maka said gleefully. When she saw Soul nod in understanding, she did her best to close out the rest of the world so she could concentrate on finding whatever magic the berries had unlocked in her. As one can instinctively follow the smell of food or learn to paddle like a dog in the water, Maka discovered that this too was a friendly spell, and she focused it on Soul._

_Upon casting, she felt something she never had before._

_It was like having a string tied around her sternum or her heart jerk her toward Soul, though her body didn't move an inch. She was not prepared for it, and would have lost her focus if it had not eased up immediately. She felt Soul's magic tingling around her, saw a glittering shield begin to form around him, too, when-_

_She was hit by a rush of emotions. It was awful, mostly because she thought she was going mad - where did all this excitement, anxiety, panic come from? What the hell was that sudden self-doubt coming from? She realized - it was Soul. Whatever flitted through his mind also flickered through hers; she found herself terrified of Maka seeing - no, wait, she felt his fear that she would -_

_It stopped as quickly as it had started and she wasn't sure whether it was because of her or because of him. The shimmering around Soul vanished. He stared at her as though she'd walked in on him naked, and there was a beat of silence between them before a couple of forgotten loopers pummeled Soul in the back of the head._

"_Ouch! Shit!" he swore. The group that had been flocking around Maka had finally decided to give up and bother Soul instead. She shouted his name, running forward with another new spell crackling at the back of her mind…_

_...But, much to her distracted concern, she couldn't quite make anything happen._

_Before Maka had fully drawn her sword, she saw Soul raise both hands in a motion she recognized as spell-casting. One of the silver spells they had practiced - an offensive move, dubbed "Eternes" by mages in the past - swept around him._

_It was weak, clearly rushed and nowhere near as well as he'd done in practice, but several loopers fell to the deck, while the rest beat a hasty retreat._

_When he stopped casting, the shimmering shield around her also vanished. As she approached him, Maka noticed that he was shaking, pale, probably broken out in a cold sweat. He held his hands unnaturally by his sides and stood stiffly, looking like an animal uncertain about whether it wanted to flee._

"_What was that?" he asked, out of breath._

"_It's one of my moonberry spells, I guess," she said, far more shakily than she would have liked. "It allows me to share any magic spell I have with you. You saw how it shared the shield I had on me with you. But I guess it also allows - mind reading? Or emotion sharing of some kind?"_

_Soul shrugged. "Weird."_

"_Do you think we should try it again now that all the loopers are gone?" she asked._

"_**No**__," he said too quickly, as if he were kicking her out of his home. It must have been her stricken expression that made him add, "I mean - I'm sorry, but no, we can't use that move."_

* * *

><p>The confusion is unbearable. Not knowing where he is in relation to anything else makes his skin crawl; as far as he's concerned, he's floating in a black void.<p>

But wait - he's not floating. On his left side, where his body is in contact with the ground, his bones ache. His head hurts. He's freezing, and his mouth tastes like his own blood. Ah, yes, he's bitten his tongue.

He doesn't hear her.

Soul opens his eyes, fearful when it is too late that he may regret it. There is nothing unexpected to be found, though; he's on an island carpeted in a wiry, thick kind of grass, surrounded by stones and - is that a petrified log?

Picking himself up off the ground seems like a terrible idea, but he's too anxious to stay still, so he drags himself into a sitting position with much groaning and gritting of teeth. He doesn't seem to have broken any bones and he certainly isn't bleeding out, but he _hurts_. There must be sprains and bruises everywhere. The oddly-shifting ground doesn't help, either, but he can't concern himself with it quite yet.

The moonstones are still around his neck, so he clutches the old green one. Biting on his lower lip for focus, Soul spends a few minutes casting a minor healing spell known as "sacres." It isn't very strong, but it's the strongest magic he has the energy for right now. It's warm and refreshing, and it takes the edge off the aches so he is able to stand up.

The next step is finding Maka. He's on a tiny island surrounded by other islands of various sizes, most of them several times the length of the _Little Demon_ away from him. The lighting is as it would be at dusk; he can barely see anything, just vague shapes.

Everything pulsates. It's like standing on a beating heart. Soul doesn't dare venture too close to the edge of the island, because he has a feeling the beating could throw him off. Instead, he creeps along the sides of the rocks and the single log, peering in every corner for Maka.

She's not there.

"Maka!" he shouts. The surrounding darkness swallows his voice. But he keeps yelling her name - "Makaaa. Maka! Maka?!" - as he glances around at all the other nearby islands, because what else is he going to do?

Most of them are empty. But there is one - a much larger one than his, somewhere to the side and slightly above - with a large jagged mass of debris on it.

His blood runs cold. He recognizes that mass, because it used to be the _Little Demon_. And, more importantly, Maka is probably in there.

* * *

><p><em>What was that? What in the skies was that? He'd definitely felt like he wasn't alone in his mind.<em>

_Sweet Silvites, what had she seen? What did she know?_

"_Look, Maka," he said, voice as heavy as his regret. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or… deny you a chance to practice your magic or whatever. I swear, it's nothing against you. I just can't have anyone in my head right now."_

_He hated the pleading look in his own eyes, but the expression he received in return was soft, if sad._

"_It's fine," she said, smiling without feeling at the planks on the deck. "I can't intrude on your mind when you don't want me there. That would be cruel."_

_Something about the way she said "you don't want me there" cut into him. Change the subject. Find something she'll want to talk about. He simply couldn't afford to let her in… but he so hated making her sad. Maka Albarn never looked defeated, and yet there she stood._

"_Do you think that's all we can do?" he tried, knowing full well that he'd felt another spell somewhere deep down, though he hadn't been able to use it._

"_I don't know," Maka snapped. "I just know I can't do any more now, I'm too tired, I feel drained, there's no point."_

"_Okay, jeez, whatever," he muttered. "Don't take it out on me."_

_Wishing she would yell at him rather than remain silent, Soul let her lean against the cabin for a bit. Maka brooded uncharacteristically while he did his best to turn the ship around on his own._

_She later helped bring the Little Demon into its mooring at Crescent Isle without a word. If he hadn't still been feeling odd about the whole encounter, Soul might not have been watching Maka's face carefully and he might not have seen the evidence of her crying. She leapt off the ship and onto the dock with none of her usual bounce, ignoring his "Hey, Maka?"_

_He followed her, trailing far enough behind not to be intrusive (he hoped), until she almost arrived at her father's inn (where she only stayed if the weather was too lousy to sleep on the in-progress deck of the Angel)._

_He would have to say something now or he wouldn't get a chance for a while. "You don't have to tell me what's going on, but, you know, I do wanna help."_

_She turned her head enough to glare at him before sighing. "Fine." And she walked past, back where she came from, tugging at the sleeve of his shirt to indicate she wanted him to follow._

* * *

><p>Soul's going to be so upset.<p>

She had scanned the surrounding islands for a hint of him. She found him easily because that hair of his still stands out, even in this dank, dark air. At first, he was unconscious or worse, lying motionless on his side.

Maka had appraised the wreckage of the _Little Demon_. The moonstone engine was stuck on a rock, but she could probably get it to fly again. At least, she could get it to fly with a tiny platform of the ship's remains around it.

Now she looks back at Soul again, and he has moved. She knows he's yelling in her direction, and he looks ridiculous; she would laugh in any other situation. Instead, she just waves over and over, hoping to indicate that she's alright for now.

It takes longer than she thinks it should, but he eventually notices and calms down. She's not sure if he can really make out her individual hand movements in the darkness, but she tries gesturing first at the wreckage and then at his island several times. He sits on a (petrified?) log, and she tries holding her hand out in a stopping motion to tell him not to move. He doesn't, though she has no idea whether it's because he understands or because he is essentially powerless where he sits.

Work on the engine is slow going. Her hands are cold and achy as she pries the stone away from the grate where the moonstone fuel is held. Somehow, by the grace of every moon in the sky (and every muscle she's ever strained), she separates the engine and a small platform of wood from the rest of the wreckage.

Activating and directing the makeshift raft will be annoying, but at least it will fly. She will have to constantly fiddle with the tiny controls at the top of the engine - which was once hooked up to the ship's wheel, sails, and other essential parts - but this is far better than having nothing.

He's waiting near the edge of his island when she first hops on the floating raft. Without any sails, her vessel moves more slowly than she has seen anything move in her life, but it does persevere. She doesn't look down. She's halfway to his island.

That's when a vehement wind gust, sent like a snide bully telling her it won't be so easy, blows her raft to its side, and with nothing to hang on to, she falls.

* * *

><p><em>They arrived under her "reading tree" - it was in a quiet park where people didn't usually hang around at this time of day. A statue stood nearby, a grandfatherly one Maka had always looked to for comfort. It was made in the image of a portly, bearded old Blue Rogue with an eyepatch, a hook arm, and a peg leg. He looked on like a guardian.<em>

_She had tears in her eyes. Crap. She hadn't intended to fall apart like a giant baby in front of Soul or anyone else. She stopped and turned around, but couldn't meet his gaze._

"_Maybe we're not really - maybe we don't really have as good a connection as I thought," she said._

"_What? I don't understand," he said, earnest, eyes searching her expression._

"_It seems like you couldn't even bear to connect with me. Whatever that was, it could be incredible, I'll bet! But you wouldn't let me use it."_

_Soul gasped. "I wouldn't? I wasn't sure why it broke...isn't there a chance that you helped break it too?"_

_Maka balled her fists and grit her teeth at the ground._

"_No," she finally answered. "I was scared. But it wasn't me. I wanted to push forward. We've known each other for a year, Soul." She shook her head, but all that accomplished was shaking a few tears free, which inspired many more._

_Soul stood there stiffly before responding. "If it helps, I - I care about you."_

_She shook her head, dropping a few more tears, which made her more aware of how her eyes brimmed and how her nose ran. "Thanks, Soul, but you can't just say that. We need to be able to act like it."_

_She was too focused on controlling the assorted noises coming from her throat and nose to notice him until he had his arms around her in a loose embrace. He patted her back awkwardly._

_She took a deep breath and exhaled, leaned her forehead against his chest, paid no mind to getting his shirt wet with tears._

"_It kind of hurts that you won't let me connect to you. I think it could be a useful spell, you know? Opening up a mental connection while you share magic...it must have something to do with how magic exists in your mind. Or soul. Ha...haha."_

_Soul sighed and pulled her very close, rubbing her back now. She could feel his heart pounding, though his voice remained steady._

"_I really can't explain right now why I can't let you use your magic on me. I promise it's nothing you're doing wrong. It's all my problem, and I'm not ready to deal with it yet. But you're afraid too, right? It's not just me?"_

_Maka heaved a deep breath. "I know. What are we doing wrong?"_

_He hummed. "I don't think we're doing anything wrong. It's just - I can't have anyone inside my head right now. And I'm sure it's the same for you."_

_Maka mustered a weak, stuffy chuckle. "You act like you're secretly a Black Pirate or something, and you don't want me to find out."_

"_What?! No!" Soul said. "It's nothing like that. In fact, you'd probably think it was stupid. But… just give me time."_

_Maka pulled back to appraise him through watery eyes. "Okay. Fine." She held out her hand. "I'll wait, but I want to move toward… trusting each other more, I guess."_

_They shook on it._

_The next morning, Maka woke feeling hopeful. She waited until she saw Soul's white hair moving about on the deck of the Little Demon before she made her suggestion._

"_I think we should go explore Esperanza," she told him from where she stood on the dock. He was adjusting one of the sails and turned to appraise her over his shoulder._

"_Don't you want to stay and work on the Angel?" Soul asked suspiciously._

"_I do want to do more of that. But I'd like a change of scenery for a little while, and well, have you ever been there?"_

"_I never have-" Soul began. "Actually, I take it back. I was there as a kid, according to my parents. It's nothing I remember, though."_

"_It's right on the edge of the Dark Rift," Maka said. "And it's really pretty, and there's lots of history."_

"_Of course you'd bring up the history." Soul heaved a long-suffering sigh._

"_Seriously! There's a lot to do there. What do you say? It might be a good start to having some real adventures."_


	3. Chapter 3

And a wave of sick washes over Soul as Maka falls.

He rushes forward, close to leaping without a thought from the edge of his island, because certainly he can catch her; he almost pauses when he considers what she would think about him diving to his certain death. Unfortunately, it's too late, and his mind is disbelieving static as he plunges toward the dark place Maka has gone. The air is chilly and his skin is clammy.

There is a weird _stop_, an abrupt jerking sensation on all of his joints as his body keeps trying to fall while something pulls him back up. There is a flapping of wings, and he wonders if he's going to end his life in the maw of some great beast from the Rift.

The "something" that has caught him, now that he looks at its arm around his chest, must be - Maka?!

"Maka?!" he says out loud.

"Nngh, yeah! You're so heavy!"

"This is insane," he mutters.

"Soul!" She's shouting over the wind, and she probably cannot hear his muttering. "Let me use my spell on you. It should make it easier. Please!"

Speaking of "easy," it's the easiest decision he's ever made.

"Go for it," he shouts, and the instant he's uttered the phrase, the heat of her spell washes over him. It starts at the base of his skull and spreads down his spine and up to the crown of his head until he's completely surrounded by her thoughts, her feelings. It doubles his panic because he feels her panic, too, and the only thing that keeps his heart from locking her out in its terror is their deeper, mutual terror of realizing they would certainly die here, if they were alone.

He feels much lighter now, however, and as they begin to get their bearings together, he glances around to see the massive pair of wings Maka is sporting.

"Wings?!" is all he can manage, but he knows she knows what he really means is _where the hell did those come from?_

_Remember that power I wasn't able to use?_ she thinks in response with a mixture of smugness, awe, and gratitude. _I guess I just needed an extra push to cast the spell. You can hold yourself up now, right?"_

And he finds that he can. She slowly lets go, hovering in place, as his own pair of wings unfurl to hold him up.

Well, they aren't really his own pair of wings. They're part of her spell and she's sharing them. He feels better holding her hand, so even though they both can fly, he doesn't let go entirely.

He senses that they're both wondering the same exact thing: _Why are we here and how can we get out?_ Whatever force had pulled them into the Rift is not active in here, but it might come back if they try to leave.

And rarely does anyone attempt to cross the Rift in a ship, much less in mere human bodies.

As they hover doubtfully, other thoughts take over. It isn't clear in whose brain they started, but they're exactly what both of them have feared this whole time: he knows she knows he knows she knows he knows Maka wants to kiss him, Soul wants to hold her, she wants them to belong to each other, he wants to be around for her always - infinitely beyond ten years for sure.

He also finds himself thinking, in tandem with her: _this is what you were afraid I would see? You were afraid of me knowing how much you __**like**_ _me? We're both so stupid, aren't we?_

They both have their defensive thoughts, even as their walls collapse entirely because the feelings are mutual and there's no judgment, no repulsion, only affection. She hasn't trusted herself this entire time, she hasn't wanted to lose him as a friend because romance screws everything up, right? He's been afraid of not being good enough - she would find out what a coward he is and reject him, right?

Not right.

He's about to forget what they're dealing with and embrace her when there is another ethereal roar from the swirling cloud walls around them.

Something black bursts from deep within the wall of the Rift.

Not the black of ink or the black of night, not like black paint or a dark room.

If asked to describe exactly what about the beast's appearance is so alarming, Maka would be lost for words. But it may be something about the way the thing has shoulders with wings that sprout off like lacerated flesh, but no arms or legs, or the way its body instead trails off into a sharp, lashing tail. It has the long neck of a serpent and two dangerous spikes protruding as if demon horns from its back; it's like a misshapen dragon made of an incomplete set of human parts, intentionally designed to look like a nightmare and dyed black. Its face is disturbingly simple, with bulging, milky-white eyes situated at the center of a large white X marking; it has human teeth except for its long-fanged canines.

They both flee toward the wall, completely overwhelmed by the sheer size of the creature, but to no avail - it is more than quick enough to block them off wherever they go.

The thing flies circles around them, its tortured shrieks taking on a gloating tone. It sounds like something miserable that is about to make them equally miserable and enjoy their company, and they have a feeling this is exactly its plan, if it is capable of planning.

She can feel both Soul's and her own heart and mind on fire, burning under the pressure of not knowing what to do. He casts his shield on her, and their connection - she's come to think of it as a resonance - shares it between them, so now they have some sort of protection. Unfortunately, they both doubt that a small shield will prevent them from being swallowed whole by whatever sort of unholy sky leviathan this creature is. He has an idea, though.

The second moonberry. Maybe in his desperation, he can use the spell, and maybe it will be useful.

He doesn't let go of her hand, but he does lift the other, palm open and fingers outstretched, a gesture familiar from less dangerous moments of spellcasting. As if the wings are already second-nature to him, a part of his body, they stretch and flap in accordance with his movements. Whatever spell was lurking at the back of his mind is ready for use now-

And suddenly, "resonance" has a whole new meaning.

She hears piano music. It's amazing, and it should be out of place here in the Dark Rift, far from any musical instrument, but it isn't. Maka isn't sure whether her heart is breaking or swelling with the melody, and in truth, the answer is probably "both." She also isn't sure whether she understands the music through Soul or Soul through the music, but a reminder of her love blossoms again in her chest with every single note.

The creature stops moving, stops making noise, stops gloating. Instead, its eyes bulge out as if it is in pain or shock and it floats frozen in place, an unnervingly-still obelisk, a hung body, its wings permanently angled down.

The notes of the music become more discordant as Soul and Maka both wonder what is happening, how long they have, whether or not they can turn their backs on this beast and escape - through the wall of the Dark Rift, no less.

And then Maka notices something.

The beast can share in her spell. She can sense its mind, open to a connection. It continues to hang there ominously in the windy air. And Soul won't be able to do this forever, maintain their shields and use his music while they try to get through the winds that will toss them around in the walls of the Rift.

Together, they decide to try to speak to it.

Soul implores her to be careful. Sharing in _his_ thoughts and feelings must be bad enough, but for this thing? He cannot tamp down his fear that they will both lose their minds entirely. He's imagining both of their human minds being ripped open, seeing into some horrific truth or monstrous lie of the universe.

Maka believes in what she's about to do, though. Whatever this creature is, if she can feel her magic connect to it, it must have a human mind or soul or _something_, right?

With as much caution as possible, they fly toward the creature and decide to stay at its back for safety. Though it is unnecessary, Maka looks toward Soul and nods before concentrating. She then puts her spell on the beast, prying gently into its mind.

For the first time in her life, she is legitimately afraid of having a heart attack.

The only thing that keeps her from fleeing the onslaught of fear, rage, and despair is that she still gets Soul's thoughts and feelings, too, and he's focused on coming out of this alive. That alone carries an implication of hope, so she latches on to his determination as he latches on to hers.

Their best chance is to try to soothe the thing.

Fearful that she will lose her own focus or balance, she pulls Soul toward the creature and alights on its massive pseudo-shoulder. Maka is hardly aware of her own body anymore as she stands on the creature, and she kneels to avoid falling and focus on the writhing mess of madness she's connected to.

_Who are you?! What are you doing to me?!_ a voice asks. It warbles like an anxious child, cracks as if it is about to cry.

Maka takes a deep breath; Soul keeps a hand on her shoulder. "My name is Maka," she says. "Who are you?"

_I'm so confused, _it says_. I don't know how to deal with this._

"You don't have to deal with anything," she assures it. "We aren't trying to hurt you."

_I think I'm supposed to kill you, but it's been so long since I've seen a person. Did you know that I was a person once?_

"You were a person once?"

_I think so. It depends how you define a person, but I used to think I was one at least!_

"What was your name?"

_I know I used to be Crona, but then I forget what happened, but I'm Ragnarok now._

"Crona, did you bring us here?"

_There are a lot of people around and they woke me up but you were the first ones to get so close so yeah, I used Ragnarok's power to bring you here, but now I don't know what to do and it's way too much. Way, way too much._

"What's way too much?"

_The music. Having you in my mind. The people around. Everything._

"Crona, why did you come here now?"

_I don't know. The humans woke me up. I'm supposed to eat them all._

"Listen. I think you're very scared and lonely, and it's making it hard for you to think straight. You don't have to eat anyone."

_My mother says I do. It's my reason to be. I don't want to destroy everything, but it's all I'm here for._

"That's ridiculous. Whoever your - your 'mother' is, she's wrong."

_No, YOU'RE wrong! Get out of my head!_

"You're still a person, Crona. And if you didn't want us here at least a little bit, I couldn't use my magic on you. It wouldn't be possible-"

_WHY ARE YOU USING THAT NAME ON ME?!_

The creature begins to shake. At the feeling of her spell breaking, Maka stands up hastily, nearly falling off; Soul is standing behind her with both his hands on her shoulders.

Their wings flare open just in time as the beast - Crona, Ragnarok - shudders out of its trance. Soul yanks Maka upward to avoid the massive, heavy wingbeats and displaced air the creature leaves behind as it zooms toward a wall of the rift.

_I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU,_ screeches a more desperate version of the voice Maka heard while she had the creature under her spell. _PLEASE JUST GO AWAY. I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU. YOU'RE SCARING ME, YOUR VOICE SCARES ME, YOUR MUSIC SCARES ME. IT'S SCARY. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE._

Its milky eyes give her a final glance.

"Wait-!" Maka tries to shout, but too late - the thing is gone into the roiling wall of the Rift.

"What?" Maka breathes.

Soul takes her hand, tugging urgently. He thinks they can safely turn their backs and address finding a route out of here.

_What are we gonna do?_ he wonders.

But he already knows what they need to do. Maka tries not to think about the potential for her spell to get exhausted as they flutter along the Rift's inner walls, looking for "soft spots," any area where the currents are not quite as brutal.

They find some. Maka had expected them to either be torn to bits by the wind or burst through the Rift's walls into the clear, starry night. Such is not the case - as they pass through the slightly-less-roiling parts of the walls, they realize their path lies before them as though it's a series of tunnels made of storm.

They don't stop holding hands. Soul doesn't drop his shield. But it's Maka who carries most of the burden, maintaining both her resonance spell and, of course, the wings that keep the pair aloft. Every wingbeat carries them an iota of the distance they must travel. For the effort, it never seems like enough. He thinks of her and she thinks of him and it makes them both a little bit lighter.

Eventually, when she almost begins to lose hope, they do break through the wall of the Rift. She wishes they had the energy to enjoy the air that doesn't buffet them from every direction, but they're too exhausted, and now they have the full distance to Esperanza to fly. It is easier out here; they can even glide some distances. They wordlessly pass the arcwhale again.

They finally arrive at dawn. The wings disappear from their shadows in the golden light. Both have forgotten how to walk, and they land belly-down on the ground in the shipyard, losing consciousness before they even hit the ground.

* * *

><p>His nose stings. But he is in a soft bed, which is an improvement over the last sensation he can remember experiencing.<p>

Soul slowly becomes aware of voices around him. They are all strangers; just as slowly, he begins to wonder why and then, all at once, he remembers _everything_. This gets his eyes to open, and he looks frantically to each side for his - friend? No. Girlfriend? He hopes that's accurate.

She's on her back in the bed to his right, chest rising and falling slowly, deeply. The first hint of relief flows through his veins.

"Ah, you're awake," says a voice from his left. He turns immediately to face a dark-skinned woman, who stands over him with a notepad.

"What's going on? Is she okay?" he asks.

The woman chuckles. "She's fine, just exhausted like you. Would you mind identifying yourself since no one here seems to know you…?"

"Ah. I'm Soul. She's Maka. Where are we?"

"My name is Nygus. I'm the doctor on call. You've been asleep for about six hours, and you're in the hospital at Esperanza."

Soul closes his eyes and breathes a sigh of relief. Okay. They are where they had intended to be. Everything is fine.

Wait, the _Little Demon_ is a wreck. Maybe _everything_ isn't quite fine. Still, all things considered - Especially Maka - Soul will take what he can get. He wants to go back to sleep so badly, but first, he has to check something. He pushes himself up from the bed, wincing at his aching muscles. Nygus walks around the bed to stand at his side, but doesn't try to hold him back.

Soul limps the couple of steps over to Maka's bed and studies her face.

"Everything's really fine?" he whispers, just to be sure. Nygus answers, though the question wasn't really directed at her.

"Yes. She seemed more exhausted than you were. What were you two doing, anyway?"

Soul takes a deep breath. "It's a really long story," he says, running his fingers through his hair anxiously, "but basically, we uh, crashed our ship, found a gigas, and had to use Maka's magic to fly back. Without a vessel. Er, I guess Maka's wings were like the vessel..."

Nygus whistles and her eyes bulge. "Wow. That should be impossible. Something tells me there's more than that, but…"

Soul nods, but he doesn't say anything and the doctor doesn't push him. Instead, he brushes Maka's cheek with his fingers to feel her warmth - not too hot, not too cold, just a healthy body heat. He watches her breathe for a while just to be sure before smoothing back the bangs on her forehead and letting his lips quirk into a sleepy smile when she takes a deep breath, huffing almost defiantly in her sleep. Somehow, she probably knows he's fussing.

Then he returns to bed to rest his still-tired muscles and wait for Maka to awaken.

The next thing he's aware of is Maka's face hovering over his own. She grins brightly when he opens his eyes. "You're awake!"

Soul blinks. "Yeah? How long have you been awake?"

"I dunno, half an hour?"

"Ah, I see you're awake again," an unfamiliar voice says from somewhere behind Maka. Soul props himself up.

The stranger, who wears a white coat and glasses, is clearly another doctor (though judging from his pale complexion, criss-crossed scars, and the bolt through his head, he may also be a zombie). Either he has quietly been here the entire time or Soul slept through a shift change.

Maka nods back toward the stranger. "Soul, this is Doctor Stein. He used to work with my father on Crescent Isle when I was a little kid."

"Hello," Soul says uneasily.

"Maka filled me in on all your escapades," Stein says, apparently not one for niceties. "You sustained some pretty serious exhaustion and some moderate lacerations, but no broken bones. You should be free to go whenever you both feel ready, but we're really going to need your help in talking about this - thing that you found in the Dark Rift, so please don't go too far. "

Soul nods. "Yeah, we can definitely do that."

"Did you use any magic on us while we were out?" Maka asks brightly, looking for some other new spell to learn. Soul rolls his eyes, because he knows she can't see him and he'll get away with it.

"I didn't, and I don't think Nygus did. Even your spirits were exhausted and there's no replacement for the kind of real rest that time can give you. Besides, Maka," he says, grinning diabolically, "you know that's not the kind of medicine I practice."

She smiles nervously clearly in the know about something Soul is not, and Stein gives him a wave as he leaves them alone.

* * *

><p>They each take time to get some air and compose their thoughts. It's dark out now, and while they've only been apart for a couple of hours, he wants to find her again already.<p>

She's standing at the top of the hill next to the shipyard. She leans against a fence which seems to exist mostly for aesthetic purposes (it's not long enough to cover the whole hill), and she stares out across the sky into the Dark Rift.

"Hey," he greets as he approaches. She turns and smiles at him, and he stands next to her.

"What did you think of that thing? The monster? The Black Gigas, I guess?" he asks.

She shrugs. "It's funny, because as horrible as it looked on the outside, I could feel how human it was inside."

Soul nods. "It sounded like a kid to me."

"Yeah. I think so. I don't know how they made it, but it must have been something awful. I feel...really bad for it."

There is a long moment of silence.

"What happens if we have to- well, how is anyone really gonna neutralize it? It's not like a person…"

Maka shakes her head. "It is like a person. That's what we were just saying. But you're right that it can't just be left out there. I think I want to be involved from now on - in whatever they do with the knowledge that it's out there, I mean."

"What if they have to hurt it?"

Maka chooses her words carefully. "I hope they don't. Maybe some kind of magic can be used to make it...more human again. Manageable. Whatever the case may be, I think it's in its own personal hell right now. I don't think there is a fate worse than what it's already been given."

He scoots closer. They don't ever stop getting closer, really, but it's gradual, and the air's getting colder and colder, which finally prompts him to wrap his arms around her entirely.

"Please don't worry about coming," she says, quiet. "It will probably be dangerous and I already kind of got your ship destroyed."

"Maka?"

"Yeah?"

"Y...you know what we both felt, when you read my mind. Back there." He nods toward the Dark Rift. "I don't want to rush you. But I am sorry for not saying it sooner, and you know whatever happens with all this, I'll always be with you."

Maka turns, but she doesn't move an inch away from him. Instead she wraps her arms around him.

"Thanks, Soul. Whatever happens, you can count on me, too." She rests her head against his chest, but this time, there are no tears.

The next time she looks up at him, he knows the right moment has come. When their lips meet, it is its own kind of magic, soft and warm and completely indescribable by any color. Their fingers on both hands tangle together.

"What's so funny?" Soul asks eventually, when her grin has become too broad to ignore. He's wearing a bashful grin himself, though.

Maka bounces on her heels and squeezes his hands in hers. "I'm just really excited to have adventures with you."

* * *

><p>"Finally done!" Maka shouts. She stands on top of the <em>Angel<em>'s cabin, gazing at the newly-unfurled sails. The moonstone engine hums.

Soul puts his hands on his hips and stands way back at the stern, admiring the results of their work - well, mostly eyeing the co-captain, but also peripherally looking at the ship.

The _Angel_'s maiden voyage is the very next day. This time, they will visiting Ixa'taka, where Soulhas been frequently and Maka has never set eyes. Hopefully, it will be one of thousands of voyages. Afterward, it will be back to Esperanza, in hopes of discussing more about the Gigas with some of the stronger captains of the world - but nothing has been heard from Ragnarok since their encounter, and now is a time for relaxation and preparation.

They continue flying late into the night. After all, they can easily handle any pests they encounter out here, and being out at night is a great opportunity for alone time.

There is nothing at all like being on an airship in the middle of the night, skies clear all around, billions of stars overhead, with someone he trusts, someone who inspires him, someone he _loves_ wrapped up in his arms.


End file.
